The survivor of an eligible employee, an eligible school employee, or a retiree who meets the eligibility criteria and submits the required forms as described in subsection (1), (2), or (3) of this section is eligible to enroll or defer enrollment as a survivor under public employees benefits board (PEBB) retiree insurance coverage. If enrolling in PEBB retiree insurance coverage, the survivor's first premium payment and applicable premium surcharges are due to the health care authority (HCA) no later than forty-five days after the election period ends as described in subsection (1), (2), or (3) of this section. Following the survivor's first premium payment, premiums and applicable premium surcharges must be paid as described in WAC
182-08-180 (1)(c).
(1) An employee's spouse, state registered domestic partner, or child who loses eligibility due to the death of an eligible employee may enroll or defer enrollment as a survivor under PEBB retiree insurance coverage provided they immediately begin receiving a monthly retirement benefit from any state of Washington sponsored retirement system. To satisfy the requirement to immediately receive a monthly retirement benefit they must begin receiving monthly benefit payments no later than one hundred twenty days from the date of death of the employee. The required forms to enroll or defer enrollment must be received by the PEBB program no later than sixty days after the later of the date of the employee's death or the date the survivor's PEBB insurance coverage ends.
Exception: | Enrollment in the PEBB program's medicare advantage or medicare advantage-prescription drug plan may not be retroactive so the required forms must be received by the PEBB program no later than the last day of the month prior to the month PEBB insurance coverage ends. If the forms are received after the date enrollment in PEBB retiree insurance coverage is to begin, the survivor may not select a medicare advantage or medicare advantage-prescription drug plan until a special enrollment period as described in WAC 182-08-198(2). |
(a) The employee's spouse or state registered domestic partner may continue health plan enrollment until death.
(b) The employee's children may continue health plan enrollment until they lose eligibility as described in WAC
182-12-260.
Notes: | If a spouse, state registered domestic partner, or child of an eligible employee is not eligible for a monthly retirement benefit, they are not eligible to enroll as a survivor under PEBB retiree insurance coverage. However, they may continue health plan enrollment as described in WAC 182-12-146. |
| Eligibility for the surviving spouse, surviving state registered domestic partner, or surviving child of an employee of a participating employer group will cease at the end of the month in which the group's contract with the authority ends unless the employer group is an educational service district. |
| Eligibility for the surviving spouse, surviving state registered domestic partner, or surviving child of an elected and full-time appointed official of the legislative and executive branches of state government is described in WAC 182-12-180. |
(2) A retiree's spouse, state registered domestic partner, or child who loses eligibility due to the death of an eligible retiree may enroll or defer enrollment as a survivor under PEBB retiree insurance coverage. The required forms to enroll or defer enrollment must be received by the PEBB program no later than sixty days after the retiree's death.
(a) The retiree's spouse or state registered domestic partner may continue health plan enrollment until death.
(b) The retiree's children may continue health plan enrollment until they lose eligibility as described in WAC
182-12-260.
(c) If a spouse, state registered domestic partner, or child of an eligible retiree is not enrolled in a PEBB health plan at the time of the retiree's death, the survivor is eligible to enroll or defer enrollment as a survivor under PEBB retiree insurance coverage. The required forms to enroll or defer enrollment must be received by the PEBB program no later than sixty days after the retiree's death. To enroll in a PEBB health plan, the survivor must provide evidence of continuous enrollment in medical coverage as described in WAC
182-12-205 from the most recent open enrollment for which the survivor was not enrolled in a PEBB medical plan prior to the retiree's death.
Note: | Eligibility for the surviving spouse, surviving state registered domestic partner, or surviving child of an employer group retiree will cease at the end of the month in which the group's contract with the authority ends unless the employer group is an educational service district. |
(3) A school employee's spouse, state registered domestic partner, or child who loses eligibility due to the death of an eligible school employee may enroll or defer enrollment as a survivor under PEBB retiree insurance coverage at the time of the school employee's death, provided the employee died on or after October 1, 1993. The survivor must immediately begin receiving a retirement benefit allowance under chapter
41.32, 41.35 or
41.40 RCW. The required forms to enroll or defer enrollment must be received by the PEBB program no later than sixty days after the later of the date of the school employee's death or the date the survivor's educational service district coverage, or school employees benefits board (SEBB) insurance coverage ends.
Exception: | Enrollment in the PEBB program's medicare advantage or medicare advantage-prescription drug plan may not be retroactive so the required forms must be received by the PEBB program no later than the last day of the month prior to the month the educational service district coverage or SEBB insurance coverage ends. If the forms are received after the date enrollment in PEBB retiree insurance coverage is to begin, the survivor may not select a medicare advantage or medicare advantage-prescription drug plan until a special enrollment period as described in WAC 182-08-198(2). |
(a) The school employee's spouse or state registered domestic partner may continue health plan enrollment until death.
(b) The school employee's children may continue health plan enrollment until they lose eligibility as described in WAC
182-12-260.
Note: | If a spouse, state registered domestic partner, or child of an eligible school employee is not eligible for a retirement benefit allowance, they are not eligible to enroll as a survivor under PEBB retiree insurance coverage. However, a spouse, state registered domestic partner, or child of an eligible school employee enrolled in SEBB insurance coverage may continue health plan enrollment as described in WAC 182-31-090. |
(4) If premiums and applicable premium surcharges received by the HCA are sufficient as described in WAC
182-08-180 (1)(d)(ii) to maintain PEBB health plan enrollment after the employee, school employee, or retiree's death, the PEBB program will consider the payment as notice of the survivor's intent to continue enrollment.
If the survivor's enrollment ended due to the death of the employee, school employee, or retiree, the PEBB program will reinstate the survivor's enrollment without a gap subject to payment of premium and applicable premium surcharges.
(5) If a survivor elects to enroll a dependent in PEBB health plan coverage, the dependent must be enrolled in the same PEBB medical and PEBB dental plan as the survivor.
Exception: | If a survivor selects a medicare supplement plan or medicare advantage-prescription drug plan, nonmedicare enrollees will be enrolled in the Uniform Medical Plan (UMP) Classic. If a survivor selects any other medicare plan, they must also select a nonmedicare plan with the same contracted vendor available to nonmedicare enrollees. |
(6) In order to avoid duplication of group medical coverage, a survivor may defer enrollment in PEBB retiree insurance coverage as described in WAC
182-12-200 and
182-12-205.
[Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.021,
41.05.160, 42 C.F.R. § 422.62(b) and § 423.38(c) and PEBB policy resolution 2020-05. WSR 20-16-063 (Admin #2020-02), § 182-12-265, filed 7/28/20, effective 1/1/21. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.021,
41.05.160, and PEBB policy resolutions. WSR 19-17-073 (Admin #2019-01), § 182-12-265, filed 8/20/19, effective 1/1/20; WSR 18-20-117 (Admin #2018-02), § 182-12-265, filed 10/3/18, effective 1/1/19; WSR 17-19-077 (Order 2017-01), § 182-12-265, filed 9/15/17, effective 1/1/18. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.021,
41.05.160, 2016 c 67, and PEBB policy resolutions. WSR 16-20-080, § 182-12-265, filed 10/4/16, effective 1/1/17. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.160 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 4. WSR 14-20-058 (PEBB Admin 2014-02), § 182-12-265, filed 9/25/14, effective 1/1/15. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.160. WSR 12-20-022 (Order 2012-01), § 182-12-265, filed 9/25/12, effective 11/1/12. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.160 and 2011 c 8. WSR 11-22-036 (Order 11-02), § 182-12-265, filed 10/26/11, effective 1/1/12. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.160. WSR 09-23-102 (Order 09-02), § 182-12-265, filed 11/17/09, effective 1/1/10; WSR 08-20-128 (Order 08-03), § 182-12-265, filed 10/1/08, effective 1/1/09; WSR 07-20-129 (Order 07-01), § 182-12-265, filed 10/3/07, effective 11/3/07. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.160 and
41.05.068. WSR 06-23-165 (Order 06-09), § 182-12-265, filed 11/22/06, effective 12/23/06. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.160,
41.05.350, and
41.05.165. WSR 05-16-046 (Order 05-01), § 182-12-265, filed 7/27/05, effective 8/27/05. Statutory Authority: RCW
41.05.160 and
41.05.165. WSR 04-18-039, § 182-12-265, filed 8/26/04, effective 1/1/05.]